Fort Collins was callin' our name

Saturday, August 31, 2013

There was no stinkin' homecoming queen — or king, for that matter — at the Fort Collins Tour de Fat. It was a different type of homecoming, one I think we can all agree was more enjoyable than a high school dance. Maybe that explains why this year's show was so dang large. No, really, it was.

We don't have hard numbers quite yet (they'll come later in the week), but we do know a couple things. First, the fine residents of Fort Collins raised $75,000(ish) for our non-profit partners simply through beer purchases, the car for bike trade and donations collected before the parade. Those nonprofit partners, by the way, are the Overland Mountain Bike Club, Bike Fort Collins and Fort Collins Bike Co-op. Check 'em out. Second, an estimated 25,000 people turned out for this year's Tour, and yes, that would be a record if confirmed.

And there was good reason for all those people to come out today: live music from Reggie Watts, Bad Weather California, He's My Brother, She's My Sister and Fierce Bad Rabbit (among others), as well as the always-weird, always-enjoyable Le Tigre Tent kept Tourgoers firmly planted. Oh, and the weather was pretty much, like, perfect (NBD.)

We'll post some more pictures — as well as numbers that aren't accompanied by (ish) — later in the week. Now it's high time to take a nap.